Baked Oatmeal

I’ve been meaning to blog this recipe for a while.  1) I LOVE it!  2) The kids LOVE it and shout for joy when I serve it for breakfast 3) I keep losing my recipe and if I blog it I will always know where to find it.  I don’t have great pictures but I promise, it’s FANTASTIC!  It’s like the cross between an oatmeal cookie and oatmeal cake.  *happy sigh*

I warn you, however, that making this recipe could lead to overeating. 

Baked Oatmeal

2 eggs

1 cup sugar or honey

1/2 cup oil

3 cups oatmeal (uncooked)

1 cup milk or milk alternative (I use oat milk)

2 tsp baking powder

pinch of sea salt (or other salt if that’s all you have)

spices (I use about a teaspoon of cinnamon and 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of ginger, nutmeg and clove)

raisins or chopped apple (optional)

Don’t even worry about using a mixing bowl, just grab a 2-quart baking dish and mix it right in that.  Mix eggs, oil and sugar.  Add baking powder.  Stir in the rest of ingredients until well mixed.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or microwave on high for about 8-10 minutes.  Serve with cinnamon and sugar and/or milk (which I’ve never bothered doing because it’s just so good on its own).

I got this recipe from a friend and, as I’ve mentioned, love it so much as it is but I do plan to play with it someday to make it a little more healthy.  If I do that and it turns out well I’ve blog that too (I’ll need to be able to find my recipe, right).

We Did. Did You?

We supported Small Business Saturday.  In the tastiest way possible.  A local doughnut shop.  Oh they were SO yum!  I got my favorite, a maple bar with bacon.  Oh yeah baby!  The kids seemed to enjoy theirs as well.

We may have just started a new day after Thanksgiving tradition!

Thanksgiving

What a lovely Thanksgiving we had!  In addition to having so much to be grateful for we had a chance to just relax on Wednesday so Zion and I got to do some baking.  We made a pumpkin pie and pecan tarts (later I made a rosemary chicken mix for an appetizer and the next  morning a Tollhouse pie).

On Thanksgiving day we took the kids to see The Muppets.  Rob and I both were very excited that a new movie was coming out, it was just to share with them something we had loved when we were kids.  Though Elias was a bit fidgety, preferring to walk up and down the aisle giggling loudly, they all enjoyed it.  Especially the popcorn.  It is possible they enjoy the popcorn more than the movie.

After the movie we head up to my sister’s which is always fun.  It’s small and casual, fun for the kids and the food is fantastic, what more could you ask for?

A few people heading down Turkey Coma Lane.  Must be time to head for home.

Mmmm

Elias had me up early this morning.  I suppose we failed to tell him that it was Saturday and on Saturdays one sleeps in.  That little overachiever was up earlier than my alarm clock on a school day.  So I got ambitious and made breakfast while the rest of the family slept. 

Glazed peach coffee cake.  ALL of them asked for seconds and every one of them said it was great without being asked how they liked it.  It must have been good because it is gone. 

My early wake up combined with errands totally exhausted me so Rob made the kids “snakes” for dinner.  I thought they were pretty darn cute. 

Mango Pie

That’s what I get when I ask Zion what she wants for lunch. She says “Mango pie.”

Um. OK. Hm. I don’t think we have any of that … but, we do have dried mango. All I need is a pie “crust”.

Wait, someone gave us some sugar cookies yesterday.

Now I just need something to make the mango stick.

Marshmallows are sticky. Well, they are when they’re warmed anyway.

Take one sugar cookie, layer on mini marshmallows, microwave for about 10 seconds then layer on the mango and VOILA! Mango Pie.

If you’re going to go for it you might as well go for it.

For the record, she ended up eating most of it but each element at a time, not all together. Not sure what that means for my Zion inspired concoction.

Pretzel Recipe

Here's the recipe that we used for pretzels the other day. Easy and yummy (though I recommend eating them right away or storing them air tight!), it's from www.cookingcache.com (though I found it just by googling "pretzel letters")

ABC Pretzels

• 1 package dry yeast
• 3/4 cup warm water
• 1 tablespoon
• pinch of kosher salt
• 2 cups flour (unbleached) white, wheat or a combination
• 1 egg

Directions

1. 5 minutes before beginning, mix the yeast and water together
2. preheat oven to 425, pour flour and sugar into bowl and mix
3. add a pinch of kosher salt and mix
4. add water and yeast mixture, mix and form into a ball (I had to add a smidge extra water, don't worry if it's a little sticky because when you roll it out on to the floured surface you can use that flour to "unsticky" it)
5. generously sprinkle flour on to counter or cutting board
6. place dough on flour and roll with rolling pin for about 5 minutes
7. roll dough into long pencil-like coils, then shape into various letters (having made these, I would make them thicker, but that's how I like my pretzels)
8. brush dough with beaten egg
9. sprinkle with salt or cinnamon and sugar (some of these I baked, then brushed with melted butter and THEN applied the seasoning)
10. bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown
11. eat!
    

Twisted

Tuesday I was out running errands with the kids, one of our stops included Target. They convinced me to get a pretzel to share (like I needed much convincing) and Gabe asked how they were made (he's really into how things are made these days) so I told him we would make some. He thought I was kidding. Silly goose.

Wednesday morning I said "let's make pretzels!" waiting for the cheers of joy. Well, let's just say I'm still waiting. OK, Zion was actually the one who was excited, Gabe had apparently gotten over the mysterious origins of pretzels by then.

I'm beginning to think the only reason she likes to help in the kitchen is so that she can get messy.


She was very happy to help with mixing and rolling...

...but when it came to the part of the recipe that said "apply approximately 1 tablespoon of flour to assistants face" she was stellar. Wait a second! Do you think she made that part up? I guess that would make sense since she can't read yet.


We made lightly salted letters, twisted ones with cinnamon and sugar and rings with garlic butter. Yum! And really easy. I was actually surprised at how easy they were.


I asked Gabe to smile for the next shot. Alas, he is one of those kids who can't smile for pictures. His face looks like I just stomped on his foot. This one is actually the better of the two. I'm hoping he grows out of it.



Zion, on the other hand, is back to being my star model for photos and gives me great smiles. Though I do need to do better at combing her hair first. My fault.


Yum!

Yum, yuck and Ha Ha!

Yum - I finally got around to making some Cake Pops as seen on Bakerella's blog. I needed something to take to MOPS so I thought I give it a go. I was going to make spice cake pops since that sounded yummy for Fall but I guess I'm not the only one - the spice cake spot was completely empty at the grocery store. But they had cherry chip on sale and that is my absolute favorite cake flavor - woohoo! So I nabbed some cherry frosting and white chocolate chips for dipping and voila! Cherry Chip White Chocolate Cake Pops were born! I gotta say, they were easier than I expected and so much yummier too! It is a good thing the recipe makes so many or there may not have been any left over for my meeting. As it was I ran out of lollipop sticks so some of the ladies just got "cake balls" which doesn't sound nearly as appealing for some reason. I also didn't get a chance to take a picture of the "pops" before they were gone so here's a few "balls" to wet your appetite (gee, that sounds even worse).

Yuck - I'm sitting on the couch. I hear "Mama, wook!" I stand up to see what Zion is pointing to and I see this.

Those are dried cranberries between her toes in case you aren't as versed in the identification of small food bits as I am. Brings new meaning to the term "toe jam".

Ha ha! - Jamie gave me Zion a belated birthday present when we went to visit the other day (this in addition to the cute clothes Z received at her birthday party from my sis and family). This is a personalized Kleenex box. It has a picture of Zion on the front with Kleenex in her nose (she put it there herself of course) and says "Kleenex anyone?" at the top. It's hilarious. I've got it on my end table and chuckle every time I have to blow my nose now.

Don't Lick Your Screen

You may want to when you read my post but it's really not a good idea. I read a recipe for "Potachos" on an e-newsletter that I get from Kraft Foods. I like their website because their recipes are simple and usually only require foods that I have on hand. In this case I made a couple of changes. Instead of regular Kettle Chips I used Ranch flavored wavy potato chips. I piled on the cheddar cheese, nuked it, sprinkled on bacon bits (omitted green onions, didn't have 'em, and tomatoes, don't like 'em) and added a dollop of sour cream. The resulting American version of nachos tasted like deep fried baked potatoes with all the fixin's. Fabulous!

Then I was perusing a kid's cookbook that my sis passed on to us and was inspired by a recipe for chicken noodle soup. A little later I was blog-surfing and found another recipe for chicken noodle soup. So I do what I do and I took what sounded good from both and made up my own. I'll share it with you, pretty basic and easy.

Boil about 4-5 cups of water. See, I told you it was easy. Add about 4 teaspoons of bouillon (or 4 cubes). Chop up a few stalks of celery, a couple handfuls of baby carrots and what's left of an onion that needs to be used up before it melts in the drawer (oh wait, maybe that's just me that has that in the fridge) and add that to the liquid. Add a scoop of minced garlic (since Rob left and I don't cook so much I've taken to keeping a jar of garlic in the fridge instead of fresh, I'll go back later). Whether your scoop resembles a teaspoon or tablespoon is completely up to your personal preference (or your spouses if you ever want to be kissed again - mine is thousands of miles away so guess which I picked). I also added about a half teaspoon of white pepper. You could do black but use less then. Set the pot to simmer and add your favorite pasta (or rice I suppose) and let it go another 15 minutes or so. About 1 -2 minutes before it's done add chicken in the form of your choice and about a tablespoon of roux (butter and flour mashed together) to thicken. I chopped up a chicken breast and cooked it real quick but just about anything will work. The results were super yummy.

I thought that some biscuits would go nicely with the soup so I grabbed the can of biscuits out of the fridge. I don't normally do canned biscuits for actual biscuits and I think these ones knew that because they started whispering sweet nothings in my ear (not really in case you're starting to worry about my sanity) so they became dessert instead. One of my bread pan's bottom got lined with chopped walnuts, brown sugar, butter and cinnamon. Then I cut up the biscuits and put down a layer and sprinkled it with cinnamon and sugar. I repeated that step until the biscuits were gone and then then baked at 350 for about 25 minutes. Gabe, Zion and I have already finished off half the loaf - oh so good! I think I'll need to throw in another work out this week!

Long Lens and Other Fun

When I went digital I replaced my Pentax SLR which I had accumulated lenses and filters for with my Nikon D65. I couldn't at the time afford to replace my lenses and filters as well. One thing I've missed very much was my zoom lens. Sunday I got to replace it - yoohoo! And today I got to play with it.

My freshly painted toenails and new favorite shoes. They are SO comfortable!

Painted nails take two.


Gideon hanging out on the outdoor swing. While there he managed to get his burp cloth in his mouth to chew on and Zion saw him. She very gently removed it from his mouth and, equally gentle, said "No, no, no, no, no. No eat." Such a sweet girl.

My Hungarian Hot Wax has a teeny tiny baby pepper! I'm such a proud mama! Sadly, the carrot that sprouted just before we left for vacation succumbed to the hot weather despite the care of our housesitter and was all shriveled up when we got home. Today I noticed that we have one other new one that has come up and today I put in a few more seeds in case the others that I planted didn't like the heat either.

I took the next few pictures all from the comfort of the swing. This pic of Zion getting in her Cozy Coupe is my lens at the bottom range.

This one was taken moments later at the longest range. Notice her sad little pigtail that got squashed during her nap.

Oops, she moved. But I still really like this photo.

This one too was taken from the swing. Ben hanging out in the shade. The colors are simply gross, it was really hot today. It washes out colors and makes for harsh lights and shadows. Speaking of lights and shadows, one fun thing that we got to do today was to have our family portrait taken.

We met our photographer, Kara Jovag, at the beautiful Windmill Gardens which provided the backdrop to our portrait. Naturally, before we left the house we couldn't find one of Zion's shoes that we had bought specifically for the pictures today so we had to use another pair, and Gideon decided to have a grump fest complete with more spitting up in one day then he has done in his whole life. Gabe was up to his usual funny faces instead of smiling and poor Zion was one nap short of being her normal smiling self. Regardless, I think Kara got some good shots and I can't wait to see them.

When we got home I had Rob take a picture of me because, while the kids are often dressed up nicely and Rob is too because of work, I rarely get to be so dressed up. Not to mention that I still have some pounds left to shed and most of my wardrobe doesn't necessarily look real attractive on me right now (thank you Jamie for shopping with me and helping me to pick out my outfit!). Anyway, I couldn't pass up the chance so here is me today.

After our photo session we got to cross another restaurant off of Rob's list by having lunch at Dixie's. They have the best fries around and their panko crusted chicken tenders are my all time favorite - so amazing! The waitstaff is friendly, service is fast and the atmosphere cozy. Another fabulous place to eat!

Kudos!

I love to give kudos when someone or some company has done a really excellent job of something and I love to pass on good finds to friends so let me turn you on to something good - really good. This Kudos! post goes to The Rock Wood Fired Pizza! At first glance you may wonder if this is a good place to take kids but let me tell you they ROCK! Rob and I have taken the kids to two of their locations and it's always been fabulous. The waitstaff are great and very friendly, the menu is delectable, and the atmosphere is downright fun! The kids get coloring pages and usually a lump of pizza dough to play with and if you get lucky you'll get a table with a view of the kitchen so the kids are entertained by the pizza tossing chefs. I can't say enough about the menu because fantastic just doesn't do it justice. You'll not find anything like it anywhere else. My new favorite late night craving is their brown sugar mozzarella bread. Mmhmm, that's right, brown sugar and mozzarella on bread. Sounds iffy, doesn't it? It'll win you over after one bite and your family will be fighting over the last piece. I can't get enough of the pasta, the sandwiches are fab and, oh yeah, they make a pretty decent pizza, too. In fact, on the kids menu is a peanut butter and jelly pizza that's so good I could have one every day for lunch and not get sick of it. Gabe never eats all of his so Rob and I finish it off for dessert. Yum! Rob has made a list of places he wants to eat before he heads overseas and this was the first place that he hit. So you guys over at The Rock - don't change a thing, 'cause you rock!

This Just In...

Breaking News! I know that for all the moms out there this is going to be life changing - or at least lunch-changing! I found - get this - a frozen chicken nugget and frozen french fries that - wait - cook at the same temperature AND for the same length of time! Yeah. I know. It's amazing! A miracle really. Because I have a generous nature I'll share the secret combo with you. It's Tyson Chicken Nuggets and Ore Ida Extra Crunchy Seasoned Crinkle Cut French Fries, they both cook at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Wow! There you go. Now you to can have make lunch without having to figure out an average time and average temperature for both items. Yeah, lunch with no math involved.

Next I'll be tackling the issue of hot dogs and hot dog buns coming in different counts per package. Stay tuned.

Pasta e Fagioli

Or, as we have come to call it, Pasta with Flatulence. This is an amazingly yummy dish and it is incredibly easy (one of those dump it all into a pot and simmer type recipes) but be forewarned, the family who eats this together will later make music together. Get my meaning? The original recipe came from Epicurious but I modified it to make it more soup-like. I really love soup. So here goes:

A couple Tablespoons olive oil (just enough to saute the garlic in)
2-4 garlic cloves, minced (garlic is to taste and I really love garlic so I usually double the original called for amount of 2 cloves)
1 16-ounce can Italian plum tomatoes, chopped (or just get the pre-diced ones, that's what I do - do NOT drain, and with Italian herbs is fine, too)
2 Tablespoons minced fresh parsley (or 2 teaspoons dried)
1/2 teaspoon dried, basil
1/4 teaspoon dried, oregano
1 15-ounce cannellini beans (white kidney beans), rinsed, drained (this is where the music comes from)
2 (or so) cups strong beef broth (this is my own addition entirely, weak broth will ruin the soup, leave out completely if you want basically pasta with sauce)
salt and pepper (I often forget these and don't even notice)
8 ounces (or whatever) elbow macaroni, freshly cooked
Grated Parmesan

Heat olive oil in sauce pan over medium heat. Add garlic and saute until brown, about 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and cook 5 minutes. Add parsley, basil and oregano and simmer until tomatoes soften, stirring occasionally and breaking up large pieces with the back of the spoon, about 15 minutes. Add beans and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper. Add pasta and broth to desired consistency. (When stored it will lose broth so just add more beef broth as needed to leftovers.) Serve allowing each person to sprinkle with Parmesan.

A Traditional St. Patty's Day Dinner

St. Patty's Day A traditional St. Patrick's Day dinner includes beef flautas, refried beans and sopitos right? Well, it does if you're in our family. It's our tradition and though it might be a bit odd I'm sure it will catch on like wildfire across the States. We started it by accident one year when we lived in McCleary. Well, technically we were "living" in Aberdeen because Rob's employer had just moved us and we were still in a hotel there while we house hunted. Very near the hotel was a Mazatlan restaurant and for some reason we decided to eat there that St. Patty's Day. We did it again the next year and twice in a row makes a tradition right? Last year we actually made a true traditional Irish meal complete with corned beef and cabbage, soda bread and champ (mashed spuds with green onions and other yummy stuff) and that was decent, everything turned out alright, especially the champ - yum! But this year I asked Rob "are we doing Mexican?" and he said "that's what I've been thinking" and we both laughed so I have a feeling that our accidental tradition is going to stick. We also decided that come Cinco de Mayo we'll go out for Chinese.

Me I have been planning and running around like mad for a couple of weeks now because today was a very special day for my MOPS group. It was our Tea and Treasures meeting and that means that the table leaders, which I am one of, got to dress up all the tables, plan a special gift for our gals, and some of us got to give our testimony. I was one blessed to speak so all my planning included writing my testimony as well. It wasn't my first time but that sure can put your heart through the wringer and it can be such a blessing. It's hard to decide what to include and what to leave out when you only have about ten minutes to speak. I trusted God to give me the right words and I know that I affected at least one person because one of the moms from another table approached me afterward in tears and asked for help in receiving healing in one of the areas of my life that I spoke about. If she was the only one who received something for her life from my testimony out of everyone there then it was worth it and praise God for giving me the right words! After getting home from the meeting it felt so strange to come home and just sit with the kids and have a leisurely lunch instead of writing, making my gifts, running errands and all that.

Gabe Unfortunately I have to report that we have sickness back in the house. The last few days Rob has been coughing and Gabe's rough cough has returned and tonight he, Gabe, has a fever again. At dinner he just sat there and when I asked if he just wanted to go to bed he started to cry and said yes, he didn't feel good. Poor little guy, it broke my heart. When is this ever going to end!?!

Rob It has been fabulous to have Rob home again!!! The kids have really enjoyed it as well but I can't say enough about how nice it is to have his presence and his help around the house. Tonight we had an appointment after Rob got home and on the way there Gabe suddenly spouted "wow, Daddy went to work this morning AND he came home today!" I guess that sums up how strange it is that Rob has been home with us for more than a day or two. He has one more, short trip planned for next week and that will be the last before my due date (which is April 21 if you need a reminder - or didn't know yet).

Zion I guess since I went off on the rest of us it would be unfair to leave out Lil' Miss Zion. What new can I say about my crazy girl? While I was out last week shopping for supplies for my MOPS gift she fell in love with a stuffed tiger. I broke down and got it for her. I couldn't help it, she was sitting in the shopping cart rocking it, stroking it, kissing it. Turns out she didn't put the tiger down for the next three days. She loves her stuffies but this was a new turn even for her. I could hardly wrench it out of her hands to get her strapped into her carseat and she kept it in her chubby little hands no matter what we did. Even now, more than a week later she still wants to carry it around much of the time. I'm totally breaking my own rule about this. We've always been strict that the most special blankies and lovies stay in the kids' bed with a few exceptions of coming out of their room but never leave the house that way we don't have to risk losing them. I'm must be getting soft.